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Book Description
Named the CMA song of the year, I Hope You Dance is a challenge to make the most out of life: "And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance."
This beautiful gift book by the Nashville team that wrote the song includes a CD with an acoustic version recorded especially for this book by Lee Ann Womack.
Customer Reviews:
hope you dance.......2007-07-28
This book is very inspirational and can be used a a motivator for young people embarking on their life journey. The accompanying cd is excellent as well.
Moved Me .......2007-07-27
I felt so connected to this and cried , I gave it to my daughter , who had just found out she had cancer . goldenyrs43
Fantastic Book.......2007-07-03
Leeann Womack does a fantastic job at describing how the song came about and how to apply it to every day life.
Uplifting.......2007-03-08
My mother purchased one for all of her daughters. The book and the lyrics of the song will certainly inspire. Moms...A great gift for your aspiring daughters.
I HOPE YOU DANCE TOO.......2007-01-10
IT IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK. THE SONG IS A FAVORITE OF MY MOTHER IN LAW WHO RECENTLY PASSED AWAY AND I BOUGHT THEM AS GIFTS FOR PEOPLE WHO HELPED TAKE CARE OF HER WHEN SHE WAS SICK.
Book Description
"I think it is the most eloquent of female dances, with its haunting lyricism, its fire, its endlessly shifting kaleidoscope of sensual movement."
With these words, Wendy Buonaventura explains her own fascination with Arabic dance. Her book is a unique celebration of the female dancers of the Arab world, and their impact on the West. She explains the origins of this ancient art, which has survived in the face of commercialism, religious disapproval and changing times.
Focusing on the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, she shows how Arabic dance came to be influenced by Western ideas about art and entertainment. But the influence was two-way. In the heyday of "Orientalism," Arabic dance exerted a powerful influence on the Western imagination-on such writers as Flaubert, such artists as David Roberts and Jean-Leon Gerome, and such imitators as Colette and Mata Hari. Their fascination was often based on common fantasies about the women of the Middle East. Yet, as the book's sumptuous illustrations show, this obsession also produced wonderfully evocative images. At the turn of the century, the genre also had an impact on fashion, theater and popular entertainment.
Customer Reviews:
For the Bellydance Afficionado.......2002-11-17
Lots of colour pictures ... past & present ...including old paintings, quotes & accounts of the people who actually watched belly dancing...& then tried to describe it!
For those just starting out to find out about Bellydancing & such enthusiasts,there are some pictures of famous older dancers, past & present .. Samya Gamal, Fifi Abdou & Sohair Zaki.
More like a collection of cameos than a real in-depth exploration of the Art Form, or Elucidation of the styles & Expression... but it IS a good coffee-table book & nice, informative read .
FOr the Pictures, if Nothing Else.......2002-07-04
I can't speak to the accuracy of Wendy Buonaventura's history of belly dancing, though I found no evidence of the most controversial complaint, that she fails to note the role of European Orientalists in fabricating our notions of Middle-Eastern dance. In fact, she discusses this very thing at length.
The treasure in the book is the collection of paintings. Where else can you see Dinet's gorgeous watercolors? I had never even heard of him. Are the pictures accurate? I suspect they are. Are they representative? Of course not. Like Gauguin in Tahiti, the Orientalists saw what they wanted to see.
Inspirational, but Flawed.......2001-07-26
Wendy Buonaventura obviously loves raks baladi ("country" or folkloric belly dance) with a passion. As sometimes happens with authors passionate about a subject, she unfortunately treats her opinions as facts upon occasion. As a dancer, I love the glorious Orientalist pictures, early 20th-century photos and fascinatingly slanted accounts from Western travellers, and I love her feelings for the dance. It's a beautiful book to peruse, and you can get some marvelous ideas for theatrical costuming from it. But like the Orientalists she reviews, Buonaventura presents an exotic and monolithic Middle East, where Egypt represents this entire diverse region and where nothing changes over time. She also perpetuates the popular myth that this is a *women's* dance, whereas in truth both sexes dance at private functions, and in both Egypt and Turkey, men historically performed as well. (Western tourists just weren't interested!) Read this for its lovely artwork and, if you're a dancer, for a feel-good spiritual connection with earlier dancers--but if you're interested in the subject of dance history, do some further research. And if you are involved in the Society for Creative Anachronism, PLEASE don't use this book for costume documentation. Egyptian clothing pre-1600 was very, very different.
great pictures but..........2000-08-29
The quality and quantity of pictures in this book is wonderful and there is also some good information but unfortunately all the information is not very accurate and there are even many things that are not true. As a book this is nice to watch but as this book has become "a bible of belly dance" when other more accurate documents have been hard to find I can't rate this higher because readers tend to believe everything that is written here.
Or, Belly Dancing for Dummies! A Good Resource and Accessory.......2000-07-26
"Serpent of the Nile" is a wonderful book for anyone with an interest in Middle Eastern Dance, which is currently gaining tremendous popularity in the West. The author traces the art of 'Beladi,' what we now refer to as 'belly-dancing' from its origin to how it has changed over time. There is a lot of very interesting information in here, written concisely and accessibly, even for those of us who are not overly concerned with history; such as the need for male dancers to entertain the public when women were forbidden to do so, how the patriarchal nature of Arabic society affected Beladi, and how the Westerners exoticised and perhaps even corrupted the original form of dance. But the beauty of this book lies in its stunning pictures, a treat for the eyes! Photographs of sculptures, paintings and engravings of dancers and musicians fill the pages and make it an ideal coffee table book. A wonderful resource.
Average customer rating:
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The Voices That are Gone: Themes in Nineteenth-Century American Popular Song
Jon W. Finson
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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ASIN: 0195057503 |
Book Description
In this unique and readable study, Jon Finson views the mores and values of nineteenth-century Americans as they appear in their popular songs. The author sets forth lyricists' and composers' notions of courtship, technology, death, African Americans, Native Americans, and European ethnicity
by grouping songs topically. He goes on to explore the interaction between musical style and lyrics within each topic. The lyrics and changing musical styles present a vivid portrait of nineteenth-century America. The composers discussed in the book range from Henry Russell ("Woodman, Spare That
Tree"), Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna"), and Dan Emmett ("I Wish I Was in Dixie's Land"), to George M. Cohan and Maude Nugent ("Sweet Rosie O'Grady"), and Gussie Lord Davis ("In the Baggage Coach Ahead"). Readers will recognize songs like "Pop Goes the Weasel," "The Yellow Rose of Texas," "The
Fountain in the Park," "After the Ball," "A Bicycle Built for Two," and many others which gain significance by being placed in the larger context of American history.
Book Description
This practical reference manual, with its precise, authentic instructions on how to speak in more than 100 dialects, has established itself as the most useful and comprehensive guide to accents available, now increased by a third in this revised printing. As before, the accents range from regional U.S. and British dialects to European accents that include, among others, the Germanic, Slavic and Romance Languages. Completing his around-the-world journey, the author then covers the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Includes two CDs
Customer Reviews:
Accents: A Manual for Actors.......2007-08-28
Useful and valuable - for actors and theatre groups. Robert Blumenfeld really knows his stuff. Examples on the CD were great, but unfortunately short.
Good learning tool.......2007-05-24
What I think some of the "the accents are terrible" critics are missing regarding the audio portion is that the accents are intended as exaggerations of sound for learning purposes. They're not intended as accurate representations of how the accents sound. Just as no two Scotsmen sound alike, no two actors doing Scottish accents will sound alike. The point of the audios is to explain the "phonics" of the accents, if you will, so that actors with trained ears can practice them; then they can tone down those elemental exaggerations into a subtler, more realistic accent. It's a simple case of the author acknowledging that you've got to crawl before you can walk.
I just bought the book for fun. I thought it would be neat to be able to do accents. So far I am finding the book helpful.
too many dialects.......2007-01-19
The cds and book were written by a genious but contain tooooo little information on toooo many dialects. Robert Blumenfeld is unbelievable!!! He can speak probably over 100 languages and has a keen ear for different dialects. Unfortunately, the common individual does not, and after a while, everything sounded the same. I was happy for the cd's and enjoyed listening to them. I just wanted to learn to speak with a Jewish accent. This was not included in the book or cd.
an indispensable guide for working actors.......2005-09-24
I am a New York theater actress and I use this guide ALL. THE. TIME. Its range is truly amazing, and (at least to my ears) the dialects are very well done. This book and CD have helped me land many a theater job! Highly recommended.
Greatest Help.......2005-08-12
This book was an incredible help for me. I am a college theater major and there is no accent missing from this book. It is so thorough that it's not a big help if you need to learn an accent quickly.
The cd's that come with it are also a great big help. To actually hear it spoken can be a big difference
Book Description
In An Accented Cinema, Hamid Naficy offers an engaging overview of an important trend--the filmmaking of postcolonial, Third World, and other displaced individuals living in the West. How their personal experiences of exile or diaspora translate into cinema is a key focus of Naficy's work. Although the experience of expatriation varies greatly from one person to the next, the films themselves exhibit stylistic similarities, from their open- and closed-form aesthetics to their nostalgic and memory-driven multilingual narratives, and from their emphasis on political agency to their concern with identity and transgression of identity. The author explores such features while considering the specific histories of individuals and groups that engender divergent experiences, institutions, and modes of cultural production and consumption. Treating creativity as a social practice, he demonstrates that the films are in dialogue not only with the home and host societies but also with audiences, many of whom are also situated astride cultures and whose desires and fears the filmmakers wish to express.
Comparing these films to Hollywood films, Naficy calls them "accented." Their accent results from the displacement of the filmmakers, their alternative production modes, and their style. Accented cinema is an emerging genre, one that requires new sets of viewing skills on the part of audiences. Its significance continues to grow in terms of output, stylistic variety, cultural diversity, and social impact. This book offers the first comprehensive and global coverage of this genre while presenting a framework in which to understand its intricacies.
Customer Reviews:
Insightful look into developing film genre.......2002-01-03
This books offers an interesting look into the world of Accented Cinema. It skillfully defines the genre and gives wonderful examples of its characteristics via a wide variety of exilic and diasporic films from all over the world. Some knowledge of the film industry is virtually a necessity to comprehend this in-depth masterpiece; moreover, readers will gain the most from this book if they have viewed a substantial amount of what would be considered "art-house" and foreign films. This is very thick reading designed for academic and theoretical purposes, not for a relaxing pleasure read, but having said that, the material is quite interesting and it is difficult to find other books on non-mainstream cinema that explore such a wide variety of films.
Customer Reviews:
Simply a stunning book!!.......2002-01-26
I found Tom Mangelsen's gallery in Jackson a few months ago, and while I was there, I had a chance to see many of his just downright stunning images.
As an aspiring wildlife photographer, I truly appreciate the superb work of Tom Mangelsen. Also, while in his gallery, I had the chance to talk to as well as meet Mr. Mangelsen himself.
This book is just simply stunning. I cannot think of any other description. The many different images of the polar bear in its natural environment has to be seen to be appreciated.
What I like the most about this book over so many other "nature" books is that we get to see the many facets of the polar bears life, from the tender side with a mother and her babies, to the savage nature of these beautiful animals...not just some glossy expose that says nothing.
I would encourage anyone who loves nature photography, whether you are a "couch" photographer/explorer or are planning on a career in wildlife photography.
Heartily recommended!!!!
The best book of the best nature photographer.......2001-02-14
I discovered the work of Thomas Mangelson about ten years ago in Jackson, Wyoming, when I stumbled across a gallery devoted to his work. The most famous image there, the one of two grown polar bears "dancing," is on the cover of this book.
The book encapsulates all the artistry of this outstanding photographer. As difficult as it is to capture wildlife images, it's doubly so when you are photographing white animals against snow! Mangelson spends some four months a year in the Arctic, enlarging his huge repertoire of images. I can't begin to imagine the patience and meticulous attention to detail that is required to gather these pictures, but I'm glad Mangelson can!
I love the fact that this book shows the chronological sequence in the life of a bear family, and also that it doesn't have captions on each page. That allows you to follow the sequence of images undisturbed by human intrusion - you become a part of the life cycle, so to speak. Mangelson's work enables the viewer to see the bears as a complex family unit in addition to their usual portrayal as hardy predators. It cannot fail to move the viewer; this is a book to savor again and again.
I'm a huge fan of just about every image this photographer has ever published, and this book is, to me, the culmination of his work. I recommend it to everyone, bear fan or not!
Essential, wonderful personal story, captivating photos.......2000-05-02
This is an essential book for polar bear and nature photography lovers alike. There are over 250 photos of polar bears, and arctic wildlife captured in the beautiful frozen world they live in.
I found the photography truly captivating. The adorable bears are shown splashing in the water, dancing, taking afternoon naps & wandering through the snow. There is even one of the mother making friends with a sled dog.
I was deeply touched by the many images of the cubs snuggling close to their mother. I found the other wildlife photos featuring many foxes and birds equally impressive. The captions for all the images are in the back of the book.
Along with the pictures, there is a wonderful story of a year in the life of a mother polar bear & her 2 cubs. The author switches pleasingly between factual accounts of the arctic world, folklore, & the personal story of the bear family.
breathtaking, impressive photography of the arctic.......1998-12-30
Mangelsen has created an outstanding work of art that can be appreciated by polar bear lovers and nature lovers alike. The intentional ommission of captions until the end of the book allows the reader to view each photo as a work of art, absorbing the beauty and magic of each piece. It is an essential coffee table book for those intrigued and mystified by the polar bear, and strongly recommended for anyone who enjoys nature photography. A definite bargin in the world of nature photography books.
An absolutely stunning wildlife book.......1998-04-25
Polar Dance is in my opinion the most mind-blowing book on bears I have ever seen. I am an artist who works with faux fur, specializing in the creation of all species of bears. Polar Dance is the most treasured of all my wildlife books. The photographs of the ice bear taken so sensitively evokes my deepest emotions each time I turn the pages. I can almost feel the cold and snow out there on the Arctic. I reach for this book often for inspiration and even comfort. I never cease to be amazed at how beautifully Thomas Mangelsen has portrayed the "Tiger of the North". Certainly he has done justice to perhaps the most magnificent of God's creatures. Polar Dance is more than a book. It is a work of art.
Book Description
When Alec Wilder's American Popular Song first appeared, it was almost universally hailed--from The New York Times to The New Yorker to Down Beat--as the definitive account of the classic era of American popular music. It has since become the standard work of the great songwriters who dominated popular music in the United States for half a century. Now Wilder's classic is available again, with a new introduction by Gene Lees. Uniquely analytical yet engagingly informal, American Popular Song focuses on the melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic qualities that distinguish American popular music and have made it an authentic art form. Wilder traces the roots of the American style to the ragtime music of the 1890s, shows how it was incorporated into mainstream popular music after 1900, and then surveys the careers of every major songwriter from World War I to 1950. Wilder devotes desparate chapters to such greats as Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, and Harold Arlen. Illustrated with over seven hundred musical examples, Wilder's sensitive analyses of the most distinctive, creative, and original songs of this period reveal unexpected beauties in songs long forgotten and delightful subtleties in many familiar standards. The result is a definitive treatment of a strangely unsung and uniquely American art.
Customer Reviews:
Gershwin Pretentious Gimme a Break! Bach Must be Zues on Pluto.......2006-03-14
Richard Rogers The Greatest Composer Of His Time?Let's get clear folks Espically you low brows who call porgy and bess Pretentious,Rogers "Might" be The Greatest Songwriter(NOT COMPOSER-There,s A big distinction)of his time(personally i pick Porter then Gershwin Then Arlen for Bluesiness And Sexiness-and ground zero is the blues sorry Gang not the vieniese waltz that Rogers was so fond of)depending on what lyricist he worked with(his most heart felt ones are with Hart).He might have had the Greatest fund of pure melody then any one-Granted.But there is an slickness And Artificial & Superficial Aspect to much Of his Work That over time looses it power,and certainly appeal.Mabe this under the surface aspect to Rogers Work Is Reflective Of The Fact That As A Person, He Was A Complete SOB- an autocratic homophobic womanizing self serving A hole.Not One Of Rogers "Serious" Works Like Ellingtons Can Hold A Candel To Gershwins.Europeans Take Gershwins Greatness as a composer Musican & Pianist(another area where no one including Rogers in the pop field{as well as classical}of that time could compete with George)as a matter of course(Americans and american critics should do the same and put to bed this stupid debate of GG Songwriter? or Composer?-and get with the fact that the closest thing America has produced to the level of anything like a Mozart is called GERSHWIN-PERIOD-just look at the high level gifts he had in abbudance as an innovater- melody,Harmony,rhythm,pianist,theatre & Drama.And the two most rare,originality & Humor-gimme a break Rogers or any one else for that matter can't even compare or compete.It Seems It's even A Gift To begin to Grasp And Appriciate the enormity of G.G's Genius.Levant Got It,When He Was Consigned By George On A Train Road Trip To The Lower Berth(Talent)to Georges Upper Berth(Genius)Levant's Words And Appraisal.Koussivitsky Got It "he's a genius to great to be real"His Exact words.Ravel Certainly got it it's well documented,hell his piano concertos were directly inspired by Gershwin's Own.Hambitzer-Gershwins only beloved music-piano teacher got it as early as 1912 when he wrote his sister with the words "The Boy Is A Genius Without A doubt",And Yet He Still Get's Snubbed and slighted by Envious low-brow & High-brow Snobs alike.Just Look As one of the reviews opines below(to be Read Snidley."i can't stand Porgy & Bess & American In Paris,They Are So Pretentious"all I can say Is BLOW ME!Certainly you are entitled to your(mis- informed)opinions(diversity Is The Spice of Life)But be honest as to why you don't like Porgy Before invoking the "P" word as Your Decree(and defense)against This Masterwork-and what is the honest answer?you don't get it,it's over your head,you have lazy ears,it doesen't fit with your world view which prefers charming "Rogers" Bon Bons-it intimidates you,you are envious-pick one or all of the above.Again Evauluating and grasping the true aspect and significance(and moving beyond all the pedigogical brainwashing and propaganda)of G.G.is an Art In Itself.And The Point Needs To Be RAMMED Home Time And Again.And I Here To Ram It.The GREENess of the Heart Chakra Makes many uncomfortable(Genius Has That Effect on those that don't want to be ennobeled or inspired by it-(And If Ever There Was a Pop Genius It's Gershwin-Two choices With Genius-you can let it wash over you and grow as a result or project upon it all your own petty offenses opinions And Predjudices).Gershwin and Porgy Pretentious? Overated? hell i guess That leaves Bach Right Out.The use of the word Pretentious is just an example of these soclaly engineered(thank you Edward Bernaise You A-hole) downloadable"buzz"words and or phrases("COOL" being the Prime One)For Fuzzy Thinkers Who's Minds are not their own and indulge and defend a Kind Of pervasive UN-critical thinking that is really just a laziness of mind and heart,(a lack of feelings based connectedness & desire for TRUTH seeking within and without)the same kind of automatic pre conditoned cognative dissonant Parrot like responses can be found in other areas as well I.e. "you think Oswald didn't act alone? that sounds like a CONSPIRACY THEORY",or this one "You're a Vegan?,How Do You Get Your PROTEIN?"And The Gem Below "Porgy & Bess Strikes Me As Artifical And PRETENTIOUS" Back to the Gist and Thrust of my thesis,Rogers was Green With Envy Over Porgy as were most of the worlds other composers and songwriters of the time.Rogers tried to compete with Gershwin with the likes of "Victory At Sea" & "Slaughter on tenth ave",which are wonderfull pieces of fluff in their own way,and get ocasional hearings over the CONSTANT and Steady programing of the Gershwin Staples World Wide(Rhap in blue,the Concerto in F,A In P,Preludes,Cuban Overture,2nd Rhap,I got Rhythm V's And Porgy).Pretentiuous Is When You Try For The Big Gesture And Fall Flat On Your Face(George Never Fell On His Face On This Score Quite The Opposite-and time and time again,He Pulled It Off Marvelously-And All Without A Net).From This Stand Point the "serious" Rogers fare is More Guilty Of Pretention And Cloyingness And Insincerity then any thing George Ever Wrote.The Jurys in,like it or not,Gershwins Music Is The Epitome Of Brillance Timelessness,Sincerity,Originality And Honesty.As For Mr Wilder's(with his two minor song hits for posterity And numerous-some actually quite good-quirky Jazzy lyrical Chamber pieces-a kind of American Hindemith-though no Gershwin Or Copland Barber Or Ives-)estimation of Songwriters After 1950 as all being amateurs(what a Curmudgeon)I got News for him in his astral home(where he's still writing for angelic brass and woodwinds i hear)-That's where the "BLUES"(Rock & Pop & R&B) went.All inspired Artists should get on with their work,be Courageous, And Fudge The OPINIONS Of ALL OTHERS-and listen ONLY! to the dictates and demands of their Hearts-the true home of the Creator.Peace.And While Your At It Keep It All Joyfull And Fun-George Did,he Never Made A Distinction Between His Serious And Pop hats -wearing both without judgment or justifacation,and that's why he is the worlds supreme crossover GENIUS!At a time when that was possible,let the pundits whimper on while Gershwin continues to Bang,and thereby doing his part to continue to keep the world from ending.
4 1/2* Excellent Ref. Book for the Musically Inclined.......2002-12-05
Yes, the man is opinionated, and one may argue with some of his more controversial and unsparing critiques. His analyses are grounded in a thorough understanding of music, and he does not retreat from criticizing the most popular. I think that the whole topic is perhaps more subjective than Wilder lets on, but at least he's forthright about his opinions, and provides hundreds of musical annotations to illustrate his views. I'll also agree with the reviewer who criticizes Wilder's view that post-50's popular music was written by "amateurs." Still, this is widely regarded as a must-have for the student of popular music, and it's an excellent, albeit somewhat technical critique of popular music's "golden age." Recommended!
proves that the worthiest critic is the practitioner.......2001-08-31
Lord knows there is a place for criticism in music. The problem is that too often the most ill-qualified, wrongest people practice it, and are rewarded with the bully pulpit of widely read publication and nice paychecks to boot. Alec Wilder is a "right" person, if ever there was one. He's no outsider or "wannabe". His insights on the procedures and content on the songwriting of his brethren come from his own long, hard struggle with the form. And he did it VERY well, giving his observations yet more credence. He has the courage of his convictions, putting a hard critical ear to the work of his peers, betters, "worsers"---whoever, while owning up to his prejudices and acknowledging that it is, after all, only his opinion. I'm glad he covered the people he did, and only disappointed and perplexed that he passed on Strayhorn (I suppose because his work was outside the theater/movie/pop song orbit of the others). I would have appreciated his insights. Such skill, courage, and honesty in criticism is at the very least a breath of fresh air.
Neither music lovers, nor especially fellow composers should take Wilder's words as the gospel, though, as I feel he'd be the first to implore. It's hard enough to compose and ignore the criticism in one's one head, let alone hear the muse over the strains of a duet. Another thing to consider in placing importance on even as eloquent and well-formed criticisms as these is Wilder's harrowing self-doubt about his OWN composing, and general worth (which comes through loud and clear in his autobiographical "Letters I Never Sent") And listeners should follow their own ears and hearts. Take Wilder's survey for what it is, very high quality opinion.
As for MY opinion, the only thing that leaves a bad taste in this and similar books (Copland's survey 20th century composers, for a much more egregious example) is a certain elitism cutting through that, at its worst, is downright snotty. According to the preface (by Gene Lees, a talented man and friend of good music, but himself no stranger to the banshee wail of the conservatively cranky)Wilder stated that "after 1955, the amateurs took over". I can understand the horror Wilder and other gifted musicians, weaned on European and even jazz traditions, felt when rock's arrival landed a knockout blow to their careers and values. But it wasn't and isn't all garbage---the best of it is as valid as anything. Perhaps its greatest virtue is that it doesn't take itself that seriously as "art". If nothing else, it loosened us all up a bit. Wilder's cynicism, however justified in his mind, peeks through these pages a bit, although not so much as to be harmful. It's just frustrating and a bit of a bore. I so want to believe that so rare a musical wit felt affection, not disdain toward the the race he wrote about and for. So with these things in mind, enjoy and learn as I have from a very valuable piece of writing.
FOR THOSE WHO LOVE AMERICAN POPULAR MUSIC.......2001-08-06
ALEC WILDER himself a composer has written what is generally considered the bible of AMERICAN POPULAR MUSIC.More than thirty years have gone by since the first édition of this book and it remains fresh.Like many i am proud to say that this book was really for me what i needed to start digging into the history of many songs before the rock era.From BERLIN and KERN to the often forgotten greats like DONALDSON and McHUGH they are all there and mister WILDER knows what he is talking about;he had talked to many writers and composers who were at the time of the first édition still with us.Personal opinions are of course a matter of taste;we are for example not obliged to believe everything he says.Most of the time mister WILDER is right:EXAMPLE:he believes that RICHARD RODGERS was perhaps the most gifted composer of his time.Few can really disagree with that.In fact,there is only one major problem with this book,if you don't read music it won't be too enjoyable for you,because there are many examples with sheet music to proves the points he wants to make.Everyone who has an interest in the history of AMERICAN popular music should buy that book.
I like Mr. Wilder's analysis.......2000-06-14
I agree with Mr. Wilder about Gershwin. While Gershwin undoubtedly wrote many great songs I find that he can also be very overrated. "Porgy and Bess" and "An American in Paris" have several pieces which I think are grandiose and pretentious. I cannot stand listening to those two musicals. The music seems to not quite be "pop" and not quite "operatic". The music in those two works also sound as if Gershwin is straining to sound important but somehow sounds artificial and shallow. I much prefer the gentler and timeless music written by Richard Rodgers and Jerome Kern. I also like Arlen whose music is always hip.
Amazon.com
The Chairman of the Board has inspired a great many emotions--from hero-worship to withering contempt--and you'll find most of them documented in this intelligent compendium. The editors have dredged up some wonderful relics, like Bruce Bliven's 1944 rumination on what makes the Voice so magical in the first place ("Undoubtedly, just plain sex has a great deal to do with the whole matter"). But the essays, reviews, and memoirs cover every segment of Sinatra's career, including the end-game triumph (or travesty) of the best-selling "Duets."
Book Description
From the time he made hordes of hysterical fans swoon at the Paramount in 1942 up until the present day, Frank Sinatra has never been out of the public spotlight. With some 1,800 recordings, 60 film credits, two Oscars, numerous Grammys and a Grammy Legends Award, and the undying loyalty of millions of fans around the world, Sinatra has become an American hero. Songs sung by the Italian-American phenomenon, such as "New York, New York," "My Way,""Fly Me to the Moon," and "That's Life" are now among the undisputed classics of American popular music. In The Frank Sinatra Reader, Leonard Mustazza and Steven Petkov have brought together for the first time a singular selection of writings about the famous singer that focuses on his music and his legendary voice. A unique anthology of reviews, photographs, and memoirs, many of them back in print for the first time in decades, this collection tells the story of Sinatra's extraordinary musical career from its inception to the present. We see Sinatra as a teen phenomenon and follow his rise and fall as a solo performer, his comeback as a mature recording artist with Capitol Records, and his reign as a powerful and influential personality in the '60s. Lastly, the book contemplates Sinatra's ability to endure and triumph in a changing musical world. Included among the prominent writers, musicians, and journalists that recount and applaud the star's progress through the twentieth century are Henry Pleasants, Arnold Shaw, Stephen Holden, Gay Talese, Whitney Balliet, Gene Lees, Bill Boggs, Will Friedwald, and William Kennedy. Readers will also find intimate recollections by writers who knew not only the musician but the man himself, such as those by Pete Hamill, Jonathan Schwartz, and Rosalind Russell. The editors provide introductions to each section, a selected discography, a complete filmography, as well as a biographical chronology of the author's life and a selected bibliography. In The Frank Sinatra Reader, the man and his music become inseparable as the reader develops a greater understanding and appreciation of both. Mustazza and Petkov have created an invaluable collection that both illuminates and reflects Sinatra's incredible impact on the American cultural landscape. It is a must read for all Sinatra fans and for anyone interested in popular music and culture.
Customer Reviews:
Frank Sinatra.......2006-04-16
Here's a collection of articles and book excerpts dealing with Frank Sinatra - the man, his music, his career. A vast majority of the pieces were written after 1965, and most are fairly long and substantial. It's amazing how similar in approach many of the personal reminiscences are: I knew Sinatra a long time, though we're not close friend; his personality is volatile - up one minute, demonic the next; he's performed magically at times and also in a mediocre fashion - are typical remarks. The ambiguity that those who know the man share is fascinating. Just about everyone acknowledges a magnetism about Sinatra - even bigger than his talent, said Billy Wilder - and many who have come to know him almost fear being sucked in by that magnetism - so they purposely keep the man at arm's length (at least in their writings about him). Just about every author who writes about keeping an appointment, for example, with Ol' Blue Eyes relates it with a marked tentativeness, some (notably Pete Hamill) as if they were going to their doom. I guess that was the power of Sinatra.
Guy Talese's "Sinatra Has a Cold" 1966 Esquire article (an early example of the New Journalism) is included, and it's a highlight of the book. Also of special interest are Pete Hamill's "The Legend Lives," Sinatra fanatic Jonathan Schwartz's "In the Wee Small Hours," and Petkov's own essay on Sinatra's greatest years when recording for Capitol records. But all the pieces are worthwhile and together build a well-rounded, critical (as opposed to mere adulation) view of perhaps the greatest male pop singer of all time. Worth checking out.
Great Inside View of the #1 Megastar of them all!!.......2001-12-23
From Bobby Sox fave to Sultan of Swoon to the Fall and Great Comeback, it is just about all here, except for the very last years from the mid-1990's to the end. This volume is a collection of essays surveying the vast realm of an incredible career. The clear links between his peerless Capitol recordings,and his own life are explained,as are the demanding sessions themselves, his always being in charge with a lot of help from his friends. Every piece here is worthwhile, my favorite being Gay Talese's FRANK SINATRA HAS A COLD (1966)To quote:"Sinatra with a cold is Picasso without paint,Ferrari without fuel..A Sinatra with a cold can, in a small way,send vibrations through the entertainment industry and beyond as surely as a President can, suddenly sick, shake the national economy." A great fun of a read! Not for Frank fanatics only.
A must for anyone who loves Ole Blue Eyes.......2000-09-19
This book is like an almanac of information on Frankie. I had the pleasure of reading it at a friends house, and it was just great. I highly recommend it. Another good one, is "Why Sinatra Matters." Both give a glimpse into a man that we all love.
Average customer rating:
- Revoultionizing film theory
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Questions of Third Cinema
Manufacturer: British Film Institute
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0851702309 |
Customer Reviews:
Revoultionizing film theory.......2001-02-07
This book is a must read for anyone studying film. It completely challenges the eurocentric doctrine of the mainstream film industry. It takes Third Cinema to another level, with articles from film makers who are pioneering this work. Great references to films. Redefines film language in non-western and western terms. Important to understand that Hollywood is First Cinema, Independent film is Second Cinema and Third Cinema is completely outside of that, redefining the technology and aestetics.
Customer Reviews:
What great research - and what a fun book this is!.......2000-10-04
Ok. While on the road, I used this book to conduct trivia contests. The guys I am with, are Elvis fans and they always try to prove that they know Elvis more than I. So this book put an end to that!
But I will say this: I TOO WAS WRONG on many occasions! I never knew 50-60% of the information that was listed in this book -- and I thought I knew a LOT! So this is an educational book beyond any Elvis fans' expections or knowledge!
I think this will soon become an Elvis Bible to the fans and Elvis world - if it's not already!
Remarkable from the first page to the last!
Wonderful book!.......2000-08-02
What struck me about this book was the beautiful and clean art deco cover. What a gorgeous cover! And what fun it is to look at.
I bought it along with Christmas with Elvis by the same author. Never knew about anyone making a Christmas book with Elvis! So I was thrilled about that!
Anyway I took this book home, and to keep it short: I have so far read it 3 times from cover to cover! That is how enticing this book is. Never had I thought possible that anyone could trace Elvis' family history back that far as did Mr. Curtin. Because Graceland still has the OLD information that Elvis came from Scotland and Andrew Pressley! My goodness Mr. Curtin goes back much much farther. What an important addition Mr. Curtin is to the Elvis world. He is the key to the lock on the Elvis Presley that no one dares to write about: THE GOOD MAN!
Thank you Mr. Curtin for showing class in authoring a beautiful book on Elvis. And thank you for all your extremely hard work in finding out all this information on Elvis and for sharing it with us fans. God Bless you and much continued success.
GETTING ON MY KNEES.......2000-01-20
I AM NOW TYPING IN CAPITALS!
JUST READ THIS BOOK AND I WILL SAY THIS : I AM AMAZED AT JIM CURTIN AND HIS WRITER FOR WHAT, AND HOW MUCH THEY RESEARCHED ON ELVIS.
SO WITH THIS REVIEW I AM GETTING ON MY KNEES AND THANKING GOD NOT ONLY FOR GIFTING THIS WORLD WITH ELVIS, BUT FOR GIFTING THE ELVIS WORLD WITH JIM CURTIN! (and lets not forget Renata)
THANK YOU .... THANK YOU .... THANK YOU .... THANKYOUVERYMUCH!
Superb research!.......2000-01-14
This book should get an award just for the research that was done in putting this book together. This team of Jim and Renata is the best ever in the Elvis world. Just wonderful, wonderful information is PACKED into this little book! You would think its a mini encyclopedia with how much writing is involved in this book!
If this book, the early years, is this great; I can't wait for the next volumes!
I personally thought that was no other information that could be FOUND on Elvis, but I was wrong. I think Jim and Renata truly pinpointed Elvis' family tree to a T ..... I can't find fault in it. Everything seems to fit and make sense. Not even Elvis' family members got things as right! So what does that mean to us? THE PERFECT INFORMATIVE BOOK!
Thanks a million!
WOW! WOW! WOW!.......1999-11-22
Did you read or get this book? Well my God what are you all waiting for!
I have never ever seen such intense research put into an Elvis book before in my life .. and this is just the early volume!
This book is worth not only the great photos but for the impressive family tree and lineage that was done on Elvis and his family. I mean did you know that Elvis' family tree was traced back to Denmark to the 1595? I sure didnt, until now.
I am now going to hold Elvis trivia contests with all my Elvis friends and fan club members ... This book is remarkable. that is all I can say.
Jim once again, a super book. And your assistant did a super job with her research! You guys actually proved a lot of "so-called experts" wrong!
Another must book for the Elvis fan!
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